1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to abdominal supports, and more particularly to an abdominal support article for providing support around the abdomen, effectively simulating the bodily support normally provided by the transverse abdominis muscle. The inventive abdominal support article may be incorporated into various support garments such as postpartum and post-surgical support garments and undergarments, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Abdominal supports are well known in the art, and are typically designed to provide support and stability to a user's abdomen. Conventional abdominal supports are often present in the form of a linear panel such as a belt or wrap, which is wrapped around a user's abdomen and secured to itself. Such supports are often bulky and uncomfortable, and are difficult to adjust for a proper supportive fit. The designs of such supports are not conducive to providing customizable levels of support in different areas of the abdomen. Furthermore, while many linear abdominal supports serve to provide external stiffness to a user's abdomen, they fail to provide intra-abdominal pressure which is normally provided by the body's inner abdominal musculature.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,270 provides a surgical binder support comprised of a single panel of material which is wrapped around a user's abdomen and secured via Velcro strips 26, 28. Such a binder is not easily adjustable to provide useful support to different users of varying body shapes and support needs. U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,480 provides a linear medical corset to be secured around a user's abdomen. This linear support is wrapped around a user's body and secured to itself via Velcro tapes 32, 34. This configuration also provides difficulty in adjusting the corset to a user's body for proper abdominal support. U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,114 provides an adjustable rib belt which is linear in structure. It features a belt having two ends 12, 14 having tabs 18, 33 which overlap. The linear belt is thus effectively wrapped around a user's abdomen and attached to itself. Optimal support is not achieved with such a configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,316 discloses an abdominal belt 10 having ends 18 and 20. The ends 18, 20 are brought together and tightened via strips 54, 56, 58, and 60. Thus the linear belt 10 encircles a user's abdomen and is attached to itself. U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,163 provides a linear binder which is adjustable in the direction of their multiple parallel belts 20, 22, 24. These belts are stitched together, to form a panel. The binder is wrapped around a user's abdomen in a linear fashion such that the fastening strip 36 at one end of the binder attaches to section 12 at the other end of the binder. U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,862 discloses a waist-supporting garment having ribbon-like belts encircling the waist, with ends joined to each other by fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,008 provides a linear support belt having a primary band and a secondary band, which are placed on top of each other. Each band is wrapped around a user's body and secured to itself. U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,375 provides a lumbar support having an inner belt and an outer belt specifically angled to support a particular region. The inner and outer belts are attached to each other and wrapped around a user's body such that each belt is secured to itself. U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,262 provides a linear abdominal binder which splits apart into two horizontally arranged support bands. The binder is wrapped around a user's body such that the bands are attached to each other at a user's front side. U.S. Pat. No. 8,430,830 provides a post-operative pressure garment which is present in the form of single panel of material which encircles a user's abdomen. The garment has Velcro strips thereon for securing the garment to itself. U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 2013/00116609 provides a linear support having fasteners 31, 32 for attaching the support to itself when wrapped around a user's abdomen. This structure is lacking in its ability adjustment or customization of fit to various abdomen shapes and sizes. U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 2013/0178744 provides a multi-strap lumbar support having a rear panel 123 and parallel support strips which attach to each other around a user's body (see FIGS. 8, 9). Again, this linear configuration requires that the straps of the support are attached to each other. WO/2007/041243 provides a single-strap belt for post caesarian section abdominal support. This single-belt structure requires that the belt's first end 104 and second end 106 are attached to each other.
It is clear that a need exists in the art for an abdominal support article which is capable of providing varying levels of support as needed in different areas of the abdomen. It would be desirable to provide such an abdominal support article which is non-bulky and comfortable while being easily adjustable to provide customized support and tension, and which simulates the support normally provided by a user's inner abdominal musculature, particularly during postpartum or post-surgical recovery. It would further be desirable to provide an abdominal support article which may be easily incorporated into a support garment such as an undergarment or the like.
The present invention solves these problems by providing a specifically designed abdominal support article which is designed to be highly adjustable, thus providing varying levels of abdominal support to a user's desired areas. A key feature of this invention is the presence of a continuous tubular support band to be worn around a user's abdomen. This support band preferably provides compression support to a user's abdomen, while serving as an attachment point for securing support straps around a user's abdomen as described below. Another key feature of this invention is the presence of a plurality of spaced apart support straps which are attached to a rear center panel of the tubular support band. As tension is applied to the support straps, they are laterally stretched from the rear center panel, around the user's sides, across the user's front midline, and are attached to the tubular support band at a desired location on the user's abdomen. Another key feature of this invention is the location of the at least one left-front attachment component and the at least one right-front attachment component on the continuous tubular support band, to which the support straps are attached. As described below, these attachment components of the tubular support band are preferably positioned approximately above the left and right anterior superior iliac spine of the user's pelvis. This landmark ensures that the inventive abdominal support article is properly positioned to provide optimal intra-abdominal support to a user's abdomen, as normally provided by the transverse abdominis muscle. This muscle is the deepest abdominal muscle and a main stabilizer in the abdominal region. When the integrity of the transverse abdominis muscle is compromised, normal body movements such as bending or twisting become difficult. Proper positioning at least one left-front attachment component and at least one right-front attachment component on the continuous tubular support band ensures proper positioning of the abdominal support article on a user's body, thus providing optimal support to the user. The new and useful configuration of the inventive abdominal support satisfies an unmet need in this field by providing enhanced comfort and adjustability, while also providing intra-abdominal support and pressure which is normally provided by the body's inner abdominal musculature.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,171 to Maupin provides the closest related art. Maupin provides a post-surgical abdominal binder for female patients. Maupin's invention provides a girdle or the like having cross straps 52, 58. However, it is noted that the structure of Maupin differs significantly from that of the present invention. First, Maupin requires that their cross straps are attached to a centerline of the binder's front section. A second end of each cross strap is then fastened to the binder's side section. Thus, the support provided by Maupin's device is achieved by pulling these centrally attached cross straps outward from a centerline of a user's abdomen, and toward the user's sides where they are attached. As stated in Maupin, their configuration serves to apply pressure to an incision area, optionally with the additional use of a cold pack, to reduce swelling at the incision area. It is clear that Maupin's design and strap placement results in a different type of abdominal support than that provided by the present invention. That is, Maupin's design provides a superficial level support to a surgical incision area, rather than effectively simulating the support and intra-abdominal pressure normally provided by the transverse abdominis muscle as desired by the present invention. The inventive abdominal support article is a clear improvement over what is known and currently used in the art.